Kalkaska Conservation District Receives People Fund Grant
By Renee Penny
Kalkaska Conservation District received a $3,000 Great Lakes Energy People Fund grant to fund a tree planting project in Kalkaska. The grant will be used to purchase trees to be planted along the Kalkaska Area Recreation Trail (KART). Currently, the 2-mile KART trail is very open with little tree canopy to shade the paved pathway. The District will plant trees to create areas of shade along the trail. Increased tree canopy along the path will create better trail conditions and make it more enjoyable to use in the summer.
The District recently partnered with the Village of Kalkaska in a ReLeaf tree planting event where volunteers planted 50 trees in the Village of Kalkaska. The ReLeaf event was very successful as a community effort and both volunteers and staff enjoyed the event. “This grant is great timing for the District and will help keep those positive feelings going,” said Renee Penny, Conservation Specialist with the District. The District’s tree planting event will take place during Spring 2018. District staff will source the trees and materials from local nurseries and businesses. A date will be set for a community event where individuals can help plant and mulch trees along KART. If you would like to be a part of this event, please contact Conservation Specialist, Renee Penny at (231)258-3307 or renee.penny@macd.org.
Members of Great Lakes Energy support the People Fund by voluntarily rounding up their bills to the next highest dollar. The rounded-up amount is distributed to non-profit organization and charitable activities the benefit people in the communities served by the cooperative. Contact Great Lakes Energy at 888-GT-LAKES or visit gtlakes.com for more information.